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Looking for the best bank in America? Don’t look at any of the bigs like Bank of America, Chase, Well Fargo, or Citibank.

In the past, the ACSI people tracked companies that have done well in their survey data and determined that those stocks increased over time at about 3 times the rate of those companies who didn’t score well.

This recent ACSI took a look at the financial sector, among other industries. Their findings revealed that the bigger the bank, the worse the customer service.

Credit unions earned an 85, the highest score of any industry they researched. Small local community banks earned an 83. Bank of America, by contrast, gets a 69 and that’s up from 66 the year before! So they’re less bad than they were…

Of course, it’s important to note that even credit unions can vary in quality.

USAA is tops too in another survey

Another more recent tally from the Motley Fool names USAA as the best bank in the nation for the 5th year in a row!

The military insurer has a very large bank that is branchless. You do all transactions online or via a mobile app. (By the way, USAA is often routinely cited as a top insurer by Consumer Reportsand J.D. Power.)

My oldest brother has used USAA as his only bank for years and years. He reports that it’s so easy to do business with them and they don’t have every gotcha fee in the book.

Clark Howard is a consumer expert whose goal is to help you keep more of the money you make. His national radio show and website show you ways to put more money in your pocket, with advice you can trust. More about Clark